The Changing World Of Latin Jazz

Latin jazz - When most people consider Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party comes up, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is actually taking care of of this style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people on the oasis for a long time with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a spot in modern Latin Jazz, but a growing variety of artists have abandoned the dance floor for different cultural and artistic influences. Today, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from the broader spectrum with the Caribbean and South usa, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Chris Botti - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played most in the growth of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles like the festejo and landó in to the style too an even more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has developed a distinctive approach along with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it's only been recently that artists have put a distinct emphasis upon the thought of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez provides his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs as a foundation for jazz.

Argentina has long been known for it's passionate tango, and several musicians have discovered that music is really a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has built a unique language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler has continued the task of influential composer Astor Piazzolla having a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often look at the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim when they look at the blend of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, however the style has grown into something much more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has produced upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and designed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the liberty behind a brand new York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Carnegie Hall - The party area is obviously still an integral part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the music activity of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo for a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The design has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting an even more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and giving listeners an even more diverse experience.